Adventures of Bailey School Children are set of best-selling children book chapter series. The novels in the series have been co-authored by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones. The original book’s illustrator is John Steven Gurney. In the 2000s, several of the books were reissued with cover illustrations made by Nathan Hale.

In each of the published stories, the Bailey School kids encounter some innocuous character such as a teacher, custodian, etc. who may not or may be a mythical being like a ghost, vampire or even a dragon. The books are told in such a manner that the reader is left guessing whether the harmless character is the mythical being or not.

The series consist of more than 80 books including Holiday Special Editions, Super Special, and the new BSK Jr chapter book series. The first book in the series Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots was released in 1990.

Here is a description of several main characters:

Liza- a scared and very sensitive character, who only resorts to methods that will not get others getting hurt even if they are supernatural’s. She is a firm believer in fairy tales and cannot swim.

Melody- is a close friend of Liza and she is the bravest of the group. Furthermore, she is highly competitive with Eddie.

Howard- she is a close friend to Liza, Eddie, and Melody, he is intelligent and very logical. His father works for the Federal Aeronautics Technology (FATS). He is in a friend group type of thing with Melody, Liza, and Eddie.

Eddie is the tough guy in the group. In most cases, he is making fun of his friends in the event they see a monster and tries to prove them wrong.

The Recurring Characters

You will find several recurring characters such as;

Mr. Jenkins- Counselor of Camp Lone Wolf, in most cases people think that he is a werewolf. He is a mean and tough but sometimes has a soft side towards nature. He has two famous cousins, one who ran for president and one that dances the hula.

Dr. Victor is a brilliant scientist who resides in Bailey City. People tend to think that he is related to Dr. Frankenstein leading them to believe that Frank, his companion is indeed a Frankenstein’s monster. During his first appearance, he gets into an argument with Frank, leading them to separate, but they soon get along. Additionally, people tend to believe that he was involved in the creation of Frankenstein Bride.

Carey- is the famous rich school girl at Bailey Elementary. Even though at first she comes off as spoiled kid, she cares about the happenings of her surroundings more so about Mrs. Jeepers being a vampire. However, she does not have a crush on anyone.

The first novel in the series is Vampire Don’t Wear Polka Dots, published in 1990. The second Werewolves Don’t go to Summer Camp was released a year later in 1991.

Vampires Do Not Wear Polka Dots (1990)

This is the first novels in the bestselling children books series. When four unlike friends and their rowdy third grades run their good teacher right out of the school, the last thing that they expected is to have a vampire assume the teacher’s position.

But that is what our set of four troublemakers get with Mrs. Jeepers, a kind lady from Transylvanian who speaks in an ancient Romanian accent lives in the weirdest house in the city, sneezes when in contact with garlic and also shows all symptoms of vampirism. Could she be a vampire? However vampires do not wear polka dots, right?

However, that is upon the readers to answer. The series opener is an interesting read, and if you are looking for a novel that answers each question, where each clue is vividly explained, and then you better grab a copy of this book. The series is mainly written for the children transitioning from the picture to chapter books.

Some of the questions answered vividly include; what signs point out that Mrs. Jeepers is a vampire? Well, she keeps a coffin shape box in her basement, she is allergic to garlic and wears a hypnotic brooch on her neck. However, what signs show that Mrs. Jeepers could be a normal human being? Well, vampires don’t walk around in the sun.

The first book, Vampire Don’t Walk in the Sun was written in only two weeks by Debbie, a librarian, and Marcia Jones, a teacher. The book is a fantastic read, and the other books in the series follow the same pathway with the kids meeting someone new, believing that they might be supernatural, mythical being and gathering evidence to prove it to themselves.

Werewolves Don’t Go to Summer Camp

This is book number two in the series. The kids are on a summer vacation in Camp Lone Wolf. They meet Mr. Jenkins, their camp director who’s hairy as a wolf and wears dog tags. He seems a good guy until the kids learn of the legend of a boy who disappeared and the wolf that comes around howling in the night. Could Mr. Jenkins be a wolf? But if yes, wolves don’t go to summer camps. As usual, the kids dive in to gather all the possible evidence to prove whether Mr. Jenkins is truly a wolf.

Santa Claus Don’t Mop Floors

The third novel revolves on a school janitor who resembles a Santa Claus. The book also focuses on the topic of believing & not believing in Christmas and Santa’s.

The new custodian at the School is one of a kind. The children soon become suspicious that he might be one of the usual mythical beings they have encountered before. Mr. Jolly, white beard hair, and longings for cold temperatures remind them of the great St. Nick. Could this strange man be Santa Claus? As usual, the Bailey School children begin gathering evidence, on whether Mr. Jolly could be a Santa Clause, but if yes, Santa Clause doesn’t mop floors.

This series is a fantastic read for children. The characters are vividly elaborated. However what you will love most are the investigative traits the kids possess as it is illustrated in each single novel.

Master of the standalone thriller genre, Shari Lapena, is back. Author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest is the latest novel by Shari. It takes place in a cozy mountain lodge in Winter where various people are staying for a romantic getaway. A blizzard cuts off the power and any contact with the outside world so everyone settles in for the long haul. Then a guest dies. And another. Knowing Shari's other books, this should be one we'll be reading late into the night. For more details or to pre-order, visit our Shari Lapena page.

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Featured Series

Our book series of the month is the Will Robie Series by David Baldacci. If you like Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne etc then you'll love the Will Robie series. These are page turners to the max too and Baldacci knows how to keep you going all night long!

Featured Author

Bill Wenham is the author of various book series including The Inspector Charrington Mysteries and the Inspector Bruce Mysteries. He just started writing in his 80s to follow a life long dream. It’s an amazing story and the books he has written are pretty great too – his passion really shines through. Read more about Bills books.

Did You Know…

Jack Reacher never needs a watch, as he always knows what time it is in his head. This has sometimes played both major and minor parts in many of the plots of the novels he features in.